Colorado is Home To The Oldest Movie Theatre in Western America

Colorado's winter temps are known to get pretty cold. Some winters are best spent indoors instead of out in the snow. In the early 1900s, Coloradans were first introduced to motion pictures and movie theatres.

Did you know Colorado is home to the oldest operating movie theatre in the Western United States? Keep going to check out the historic Park Theatre in Estes Park, Colorado.

Get our free mobile app

Colorado's Oldest Operating Movie Theatre

The Park Theatre in Estes Park, Colorado, first opened in 1913. This was the year Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde debuted on the big screen. Park Theatre was added to the National List of Historic Places in 1984.

The Park Theatre was designed by Clyde Anderson. The 80-foot neon-outlined tower was added in 1922 by Ralph Gwynn. We'll show off the inside of the theatre in the photo gallery below.

Park Theatre Mall and Cafe

The Park Theatre and the Park Theatre Cafe are located just off the banks of the Fall River in Estes Park, near the corner of Moraine Avenue and Rockwell Street.

This popular spot features the Park Theatre Riverwalk Connection which leads to downtown shopping and the Park Theatre Cafe.

Floods and Fires at the Park Theatre

We are lucky to still have the theatre in operation today. Flooding caused by the breach of the Long Lake Dam near Estes Park in 1982 caused tons of debris to pile up in front of the theatre, but it was not damaged.

Colorado almost lost its oldest movie theatre in 2009 when a fire broke out in the Park Theatre Mall and Cafe. The Mall and Cafe were built one year after the movie theatre was completed in 1914 but was originally designed as a carriage house and livery. It contained no fire alarms or sprinkler systems.